Like the Sky is New
by MalLuvsDC150
Summary: An AU Tangled fan-fic, set in modern day Los Angeles. Told from alternating view points of Flynn Rider and Rapunzel.


**Chapter 1: Rapunzel**

_Poke._

I pulled the pillow over my head even tighter, to avoid the incessant poking that would most definitely be continuing in the coming minutes.

_Poke._

"Pascal, stop it. It's way too early for this. Can't you sleep in a few more minutes?"

Wiggling his small and scaly body underneath my pillow, the chameleon succeeded in waking me for the day. Lifting up the corner of the pillow, my eyes met the face of my alarm clock. It was seven already.

Immediately throwing the pillow and sheets off of my body, I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. I'd slept in a little more than I normally did. Typically, I woke at six thirty and got ready within the half-hour, giving me from seven until whenever to take care of the daily routine, which consisted of cleaning, baking, and studying on most days. Mother made it hard to deviate much from that routine.

Yawning and sliding out of bed, I looked out the large window right in my room. The window overlooked the city of Los Angeles; the city of angles. I also knew it as the city I'd never once been to. Not once had I ever set food much outside of my home; at least, not that I remembered. There was a small backyard and patio out back, but a fence secured even that in. The fence was only normal since the house sat right on top of a mountain.

The view was gorgeous, and no one could argue that, but the glowing lights of the city down below spoke much more to me than any amount of clouds or sun could during the day. The night was my favorite time of day just for that reason. Stuck in a house with the same monotonous routine each day only fueled my fascination with the outside world more.

Pascal, who was probably my only friend, climbed up my arm and onto my shoulder. He curled up in a small ball and looked out the window with me.

"What do you say, Pascal? Do I bring it up?"

I felt him nod with strong confidence. For a reptile, he was much smarter than any other animal I'd ever seen… or read about. There wasn't much time for animal watching in a place like this. However, books provided just enough information for me to grasp the concept of the animal world.

Taking Pascal's encouragement to heart, I began my daily chores. First, came cleaning. I did the same thing every day, but somehow, there was always something to clean. Mother was very picky about the way her house looked. She was the first to notice if anything at all was out of place; and disappointing her was the worst thing I could ever do.

I made my bed, swept the floors, washed off all the counters, and dusted every little last corner of the house, all before ten; or even more importantly, before Mother came home. She would be so displeased if the house wasn't spotless by the time she arrived home. Most mornings, she would go to the market to buy food for us. She was a wonderful cook, but not the best at baking. Fortunately for her, I had quite the knack for it. She made dinner, and I made desert each night. That was kind of like our thing.

Mother and I looked nothing alike. She was a tall, filled out woman with dark curly hair and gray eyes. She was the exact opposite of me; petite in every way, long golden hair, and big green eyes. My hair was one of her favorite things about me. I didn't recall ever drawing a pair of scissors near it. With my hair that long, it was easiest to keep it in a simple braid, right down the center of my back. It was simple and it wasn't much, but it worked just fine for me.

"Okay, Pascal… what should desert be tonight?" I asked, pulling my recipe book down from the top cabinet.

I set the book on the counter and opened it up. Pascal immediately rushed to open to his favorite page. His tail curled around the corners of the pages and turned to page 18 where the recipe for blueberry cupcakes was written down. For some reason, they were his favorite. For a chameleon, I was expecting him to like something with insects in it, not fruit, but he was a strange little animal if I ever saw one.

"Cupcakes? Again? How do you know I'll give you any? Isn't that presumptuous of you?"

He smiled and blushed, causing the rest of his body to turn a soft pink color. I laughed, leaning down to pat him on the head as I went for the bowl to start baking the cupcakes. Within the hour, twenty-four perfectly decorated and baked cupcakes were sitting in front of me on the counter, waiting for mother to arrive home from her morning adventures.

At roughly noon, I heard the front door open.

"Rapunzel!" she chimed through the house. "I'm back, darling!"

I hopped from my spot on the couch, where I was reading up for our math lesson today. I was currently studying something boring about sequences and series', so mother's arrival was the perfect distraction for me.

"Hello mother," I replied as she set her bags on the counter. "How was shopping this morning?"

"Ugh," she sighed dramatically. "It was a mad house, Rapunzel. I envy you sometimes, I really do. Never having to leave this gorgeous house? You don't have to deal with all of the madness and idiocy that plagues the outside world. I wish I had your job."

"We could always switch, you know," I suggested.

Mother turned around from unloading the fruit into the fridge, now with a certain rabid ferocity in her eyes. "No. You will not leave this house. I forbid it. Think of all the terrible stories I tell you about what happens there. You'll be eaten up alive, literally, darling. Believe me… it's not all it's made up to be."

I knew that leaving the house would be a bad idea, but each day, there was something inside of me that just made the desire to leave so much greater. It grew every single day and the anguish of just sitting inside this dumb house for another twenty-four hours drove me insane. Eighteen years of sitting inside the same four walls had taken it's toll on my sanity; a toll that was far more dangerous than going outside.

"I made you cupcakes, mother!" I said to break up this awkward conversation.

"Oh dear, they look wonderful. Oh, but look… the icing on this one is messed up. It looks like someone took a swipe of it with her finger. I wonder who that could have been. It's not like you need the extra sugar and sweets, darling. You should really lay off of them for a little bit."

"It wasn't me, mom," I said, glaring at Pascal across the counter.

"Oh sweetie, stop taking everything so hard. I was just joking. You know I love you so much."

"I know. I love you too."

She stopped what she was doing and smiled at me. "I love you most."

I gave her a gentle smile back. It was the least I could do since the next thing I was going to do would crush her soul.

"So, mother… I was wondering. Tomorrow is kind of a special day, right?"

"And what would that be?"

"My birthday!" I chimed. "I'm turning eighteen and I think that a big day like that deserves some kind of big gift."

"I suppose so, dear. What is it?"

A knot grew in my throat and I felt a sweat break out at my hairline. I was even starting to feel my heart race inside of my chest. I just had to spit it out and get it over with.

"I want to see the floating lights. The ones on the beach."

Mother turned around, this time looking dumbfounded by what I just said.

"What lights, Rapunzel?"

"The lights on the beach, mother. Don't tell me you don't know about them! Each year on my birthday, these big bright lights fill up the sky off in the distance, and all I want is to see them… up close. Not from my window or the backyard. I want to _go_ to them."

She laughed it off as if I were some kind of idiot who didn't know what on Earth I was talking about.

"Dear, those would be stars. There is nothing special about them."

"They can't be stars. If they were stars, why do they shine brighter than anything else and only come on my birthday?"

"Are you questioning me, Rapunzel?"

I knew I had to answer no to that, or suffer consequences. And on the eve of my birthday, I did not want to risk any kind of implications that would make my special day less than perfect, especially this one.

"No, but I'm just trying to tell you. Maybe you haven't seen them and that's why you don't know what I'm talking about. It's an honest mistake, mother. I just want to go to the beach and see these lights. I want to know if they're meant for me. Please. It's a once in a lifetime experience."

Mother stepped around the counter. She looked angry now. I knew it was a bad idea to question her, but I needed nothing more than to see these lights for my birthday. Technically, in the eyes of the law, I was a legal adult. I could leave and do whatever I wanted, but if I left, I knew I could never return home without the shame of knowing I betrayed my mother.

"Rapunzel, dear. Look at you. Do you really think you could survive out there? In a world where killers lurk around every corner, just looking for foolish, naïve girls to snatch up? Do you think you could handle yourself in a place where thieves and crooks strive to do nothing more than take every possession you have on you? Please, darling. You're way too pathetic to even try to adventure. Even with me along, you'd be too scared. You wouldn't like it down there, sweetheart. I promise you it would take all of five minutes for you to turn around and wind up right back here. The world is dark and cruel and the only reason I do the things I do is to protect you. Now, if you want to go outside and see for yourself, go ahead, but don't say I didn't warn you… You will probably never come back alive, darling. I'm just saying this because I love you."

Watching the expression in her eyes, I knew that I could not even dare to leave. As much as I wanted to get out of this house, I wouldn't. She was right. No matter how strong I thought I was, I'd never be as brave and as tough as she was. I'd never be able to handle myself outside these walls.

"You're right, mother. I guess it was just a stupid idea. I don't know where the idea came from."

She smiled, pleased that I'd given up the proposal. "Now, that's more like it, darling. I'm glad you're finally seeing what I've been trying to tell you for years now. Now, why don't you go back to studying and I'll make you some lunch dear. I could make you hazelnut soup. I know that's your favorite."

I nodded. "Yeah. That would be great. Thanks, mother."

She stepped closer to me, noticing the disappointment in my eyes and kissed me softly on the top of the head before going back into the kitchen to prepare my food. I slumped onto the couch and stuck my head back into my math textbook, trying my best not to show my disappointment. Hopefully the thoughts of algebraic equations and variables would ease the crushed dreams that were clouding my brain, but I wasn't counting on it. It seemed like tomorrow would be no different from the other six thousand I'd had here.


End file.
